Adjustable platform lounging chair



y 1964 H. H. MOHLER 3,131,965

DJUSTABLE PLATFORM LOUNGING CHAIR Filed Nov. 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 q Q. J. 26 I 4 59 0 74483 L330? 54 7 5580 5/ 48 3 I INVENTOR.

y 5, 1964 H. H. MQHLER 3,131,965

ADJUSTABLE PLATFORM LOUNGING CHAIR Filed Nov. 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 63 7z7a7/ 4 553a INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,131,965 ADJUSTABLE PLATFGRM LOUNGING CHAER Harvey H. Mahler, 5&47 N. Rosernead Blvd, Temple City, Calif. Filed Nov. 2-5, 1962, Ser. No. 239,9% 1 Claim. (Cl. 297-89) This invention relates to an adjustable article of furniture of the type having a retractable leg rest and, more particularly, relates to a platform lounger, including the best features of the platform rocker, the Morris chair and the recliner, with additional new features.

Similar to a platform rocker, a cha r according to the invention has a one-piece rigid, unitary frame including the seat portion, the arms and the back, and has a base upon which it pivots, the base having the chair legs. A chair according to the present invention is balanced as is a rocker, but instead of rocking it reclines backwardly on a fixed pivot point.

Provided as a part of the invention is a leg rest panel which forms an undetectable front face portion of the chair when the chair is in the upright position. When the chair is pivoted, the leg rest automatically moves utwardly in a true are of a circle, the seat edge being the center thereof in the preferred embodiment. This makes it possible to close the chair with a light pressure of the legs and also makes it impossible to damage the offset or remote hinge mechanism upon which the leg rest is carried and moved. It is typical in the prior art that a reclining chair is designed to be operated so not much pressure is applied on the leg rest to force the chair into its upright position, or into its reclining position. The reason for this is that in the prior art the leg rest mechanism is generally made so that damage to it would occur if the chair were returned to its upright position by applying the force only to the leg rest.

Incorporated in a chair according to the invention is an adjustable automatic control device which locks the chair in its open or fully reclined position and also locks it closed when it is in its upright or closed position. The chair is so constructed so that anyone who can rock a platform rocker can operate it and the weight of the user is unimportant.

Because the leg rest pivots on a true are of a circle, it can be operated by hand; that is, the user may move it outwardly into its upward position by pulling on it and it thus can be used in a non-reclinable chair or davenport so as to effectively form a hidden ottoman.

The hardware for this platform lounger weighs less than five pounds so as to keep it in the light weight class. It also requires less space than a conventional reclining chair in that it can be as close as seven inches to a wall and still recline fully, and with the leg rest extended it occupies less space than the conventional club chair with an ottoman.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved reclining chair and an improved leg rest for the latter type of chair or for a non-reclining article of furniture.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved reclining lounge chair which requires less space than was heretofore possible for the same size chair and the same comfort to the user.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a reclining chair with better styling possibilities in that it has no breakaway back, and it can be used 3,131,965 Patented May 5, 1964 or ofiset hinge so that the leg rest moves in a true are of a circle. The leg rest does not change its position on the legs of the user as it moves; that is, it is movable in the same true are as the users legs which are hinged at the knees.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a reclining chair which has a one-piece unitary frame including the seat supporting portion, the back and the side arms.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a reclining chair which can be conveniently supplied with a reversible cushion.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an easily operated reclining chair for older people or invalids who cannot operate the conventional heavy type of reclining chair.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a reclining chair for use in small apartments or in trailers or mobile homes where there is limited space.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a reclining chair with a control device which automatically locks the chair in the upright position and in the reclined position. This control device can be adjusted according to the weight of the user so that a slightly excessive pressure over that of the weight of the user applied to the back of the chair will cause it to recline and, similarly, a slightly excessive pressure over that of the weight of the user on the leg rest will cause the chair to move from its reclining position to its upright position.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a reclining chair with a leg rest which, in contrast to a typical recliner, requires no structural member in addition to the hinge members to hold the leg rest in its upper position.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a leg rest which may be installed in a stationary chair, davenport or love seat as a disappearing ottoman which can be raised by lifting with a hand at the bottom of the leg rest panel.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a leg rest in a stationary chair or in a reclining or rocking chair and which can be raised by a lever on the exterior of the chair.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a leg rest for any chair and which can be raised by a forward thrust on one of its offset hinge members.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved leg rest operable by a link which applies a downward thrust to one of the ofiset hinge members.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a leg rest pivotal about a virtual hinge line on offset hinge members which are damage proof in normal operation.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a leg rest operable by an offset hinge, the hinge structure being connected only to the leg rest panel and to the seat or frame structure.

Further objects and advantages of the invention may be brought out in the following part of the specification wherein small details have been described for the competence of disclosure, without intending to limit the scope of the invention which is set forth in the appended claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a chair according to the invention in its reclining position;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the chair shown in FIG. 1 in its upright position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view, showing the hinge mechanism and control on one side of the chair, taken substantially as indicated by line 33 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, partly cross sectional view of the chair, taken as indicated by line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view taken as indicated by the line 44 in FIG. 2 with the chair in its reclined position and the foot rest in its upwardly extended position;

FIG. 6 is a View of a portion of the control, taken as indicated by the line 66 in PEG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view of the control when the chair is in its upright position; i FIG; 8 is a fragmentary view of the control when the chair is in its reclined position;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view of an embodiment of the leg rest which is lever operated in a stationary chair; and

PEG. 10. is a fragmentary view of the chair having a hydraulic operating means.

Referring again to the drawings, there is shown a reclining chair having a unitary rigid frame structure 10. The frame includes a back 11, sides 12 and 13, arms 17 and i8 and a seat supporting structure 19. The back and sides are covered with upholstery, as at 20 and 23, respectively. The seat support 19 has an upholstered cushion 24 which may be'unattached andreversible, as shown, or may be secured to the frame.

Directly under the seat support 19 and secured thereto are four horizontal perimeter members on the frame it), and which are front member 25 secured on each side thereof to members 26 forming a part of the sides, and to the rear member 2? extending across the back. 7

As may be seen in FIGS. 3-5, only one side of the chair is shown, but the side member 26, as well as the structure extending downwardly therefrom, has its equal counter part on the other side of the chairp Thus, secured to each memberz is a rectangular mounting plate 30 to which the foot rest 31, its offset or remote hinge mechanism, generally designated as 32, the position locking con chair balancing point, is a bolt 47 extending through an opening in flange 44 so as to pivotally support the frame It with respect to the'base 3( .Thus, the chair may pivot from its upright position, shown in FIG. 4, to its reclined position, shown in FIG. 5,on the pivots 47.

The hinge mechanisms 32 are each comprised of two sets of links which extend in the space 48, as shown in FIG. 3, between the, inner surface of frame plate 3t and the outer side surfaces of the base structure, including the side members 38 and the brackets 43, and laterally outwardly of the front inner frame panel member 49. The first link means is comprised of a relatively long link 59 and a relatively short linkSl which are pivotally joined adjacent one of their ends by pivot 53. The link 51 is pivotally engaged inwardly of its other end 54 on a pivot post 55, fixedly secured to plate 30, and which forms the shaft of the control 35. The outer end of link 59 is pivotally secured to a foot rest bracket 56 by means of a rivet 59. It should be noted that in FIG. 1 the bracket 56 and the pivot points thereon are hidden to provide a better appearance. a r

The second set of links forming theoffset hinge 32 is comprised of links 61 and 62, pivotally connected by a rivet 65. The outer end of the link 61 is pivotally connected to the bracket 56 on the foot rest by means of a riveted. Intermediate the ends of the link 62, it is pivotally connected by rivet 67 at an intermediate point to the link 50 to connect the two sets of links. The other end 68 of link 62 is pivotally connected on a rivet 69 extending from the plate 30.

Extending from the end .68 of the link 62 is a laterally inwardly offset, short le 'er arm 71, pivotally secured to an actuating or integrating link 72 by a rivet 73. The forward lower end of the link 72 is pivotally engaged by rivet 74 to the base bracket 43.

As best seen FIG. 5, the foot rest 31, secured to the offset hinge mechanism 32 by means of bracket 56, has an inner transverse support member 77, covered by an upholstered outer portion 73 having an outer contact surface 76. e

As best seen in FIGS. 3-8, the control mechanism 35 is comprised of two rollers 79 and 89 mounted adjacent the end 54 of the link 51, spaced inwardly from the former with their axes in alignment with each other and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the link 51. Extending inwardly from the rollers, with respect to thesides of the chair, is a cylindrical member 82 slidably engaged on the pivot or control shaft 55. The shaft 55 has a square portion which is engaged with a square opening 4 in the cylinder 82 to prevent thelatter from rotating. The cenral portion'of the inner face of the cylinder 82, directed toward the outer portion of the chair, is countersunk at 85 so as to provide an outer annular face 88 having two pairs of generally concave pockets or recesses. Each recess of each pair is diametrically opposite of the other in the same pair. One pair of the recesses 89 is relatively shallow, having a sloped surface E i to permit easy egress of the rollers therefrom. The other pair of recesses 91 are deeper than the former and have a sharper drop so as to make it more difficult for the rollers to move outwardly thereof. In FIGS. 3, 4 and 7, where the chair is in the upright position and the foot rest is retracted, the rollers 79 and 89 are in the shallower recesses as so as to permit the relatively easy reclining of the chair and the projection of the foot rest. In FiGS. 5 and 8, in which the chair is in the reclined position, by the pivotal movement of the link 51, the rollers were rotated with respect to the cylinder 82 so as to move them into the deeper recesses 93.

The cylinder 82 is biased into contact with the rollers by means of the coil spring E i surrounding the shaft 55. The control devices are adjusted by a wing nut 95'. The adjustment relates to the weight and the strength of the user of the chair and in each case to recline the chair or to move it into its upright position, the force of the springs W must be overcome to'move the roller out of the respective recesses.

In operation, the chair is reclined with the user in the sitting position, by exerting a force with his back against the back of therchair to tend to move it into a reclined position. As indicated, this force must overcome the force of the springs 94, and when it does, the frame 10 of the chair pivots with respect. to the base 36 on the pivots 47. As this occurs, the forward part of the chair rotates upwardly so that the lever arm 71 on the link 62 exerts a pull on the actuating or integrating link 72 and since the link 72 cannot be moved upwardly very far, it acts to rotate the link 62 on its pivot 69. The rotation of the link 62 moves the links 5% and 61 upwardly and outwardly, the link 5%} causing the link 51 to rotate so as to move tree rollers from the recesses 89 into the recesses 91 of the control device.

As the foot rest 31 is moved upwardly and outwardly.

by the action of'the links Sil and 61, it moves in a true embodiment shown, the center of the arc of travel of the foot rest is at the upper forward corner 97 of the seat and the surface 76 is always a part of a radius of the arc. As the leg rest moves in a true arc with .the seat edge 'being the center, the chair may be closed and moved to its upright position with a light pressure of the legs on the foot rest and the remote or offset hinge mechanism cannot be damaged during this operation; that is, the leg rest moves downwardly just as the legs do on their hinges in the knees which are generally located by a user adjacent the seat edge 97.

As the enter of the arc is at 97, the contact surface on the foot rest and the center 97 are always in a straight line, irrespective of the location or" the foot rest so that the foot rest can be made continuous with the seat as disclosed in my co-pending application filed August 18, 1953, entitled Adjustable Chair, Serial No. 755,471, which is going to issue on November 27, 1962, as US. Patent 3,065,989. By having the center of the are on a virtual hinge line at the seat edge 97, the users legs will stay in the same place on the surface of the foot rest as he exerts pressure on it to close and as it moves downwardly to its retracted position. This, of course, makes it easier to close the chair and does not cause any drag on the legs of the user, which in the prior art chairs occurs from longitudinal movement of the foot rest with respect to the legs.

The foot rest can be moved through an arc having its center at a point removed from the seat edge, but tms will cause some dragging of the foot rest on the users legs. However, the remote hinge performs at different centers of arc with respect to the seat without being subject to damage from putting all the closing pressure on the foot rest.

In FIG. 9, a portion of the chair is shown without an actuating or integrating link 72 and, thus, with the structure shown, the chair would not recline. This is an example ot a stationary chair in which the foot rest can be actuated by a lever 1% externally of the chair. The lever is fixed to rotate a shaft 191 which replaces the pivot 69, shown in FIG. 5, and which is fixedly secured to a link 62a, equivalent to the link 62 except that it does not have a lever 71 thereon. The shaft rotates in the plate 3% and when the lever 199 is rotated rearwardly, the link 62a is moved into the position of the link 62 in FIG. 5 so that the foot rest is moved to its projected position. The remainder of the link structure in FIG. 9 is the same as that shown in FIG. 5, including the control device 35.

In FIG. 10, a hydraulically operated piston 192 in a cylinder 103 having fluid connections 106 and 197 is used to incline the chair and project the foot rest. T he cylinder 103 is pivotally mounted at 103 to the base and the piston rod is pivotally connected at 199 to the link 62. By applying pressure through the connection 197, the chair is caused to recline on pivot 47 and the foot rest is projected as shown in FIG. 5. The same hydraulic means could be used to operate a foot rest in a stationary chair by removing the link 72, the piston then merely actuating the remote hinge structure. This, again, would provide a complete unit between two members to act in the same manner as a typical hinge, but without a hinge connection at the hinge axis.

The invention and its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof or sacrificing its material advantages, the arrangement iereinbefore described being merely by way of example, and I do not wish to be restricted to the specific form shown or uses mentioned, except as defined in the accompanying claim, wherein various portions have been separated for clarity of reading and not for emphasis.

1 claim:

For use in an adjustable article of furniture, a position control comprising:

(a) a shaft adapted to be fixed to a pivotal part of the article;

(b) a link member adapted to be pivoted when said part is pivoted;

(c) a pair of spaced rollers on said link member;

(45) a body member axially movable on said shaft and fixed against rotation;

(e) means biasing a face of said body member to be in contact with said rollers;

(f) a first pair of spaced recesses in said face for respectively receiving said rollers when said part is in one position; and

(g) a second pair of spaced recesses in said face for respectively receiving said rollers when said part is pivoted to a second position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,170,224 Tarr Aug. 22, 1939 2,659,415 Hughes Nov. 17, 1953 2,893,472 Repaich July 7, 1959 2,921,624 Lorenz Ian. 19, 1960 2,958,370 Bank et a1 Nov. 1, 1960 2,966,939 Fletcher Ian. 3, 1961 2,999,719 Schliephacke Sept. 12, 1961 3,016,264 Hughes Ian. 9, 1962 3,087,757 Fidel Apr. 30, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 66,397 Switzerland Dec. 9, 1912 

